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Author Notes: Fruit filled slab pies make a perfect dessert for a back yard barbecue or other informal affair. They serve a crowd of people, and can be eaten out of hand if desired. They also can take advantage of seasonal fresh fruit. I've combined raspberries, apricots, and plums for this one. You can also replace the plums with more apricots or vice versa. If you use only apricots you may need to decrease the sugar to about ½ cup. If you use plums you will likely need to increase the sugar to ¾ to 1 cup.
I like the filling to be on the tart side with the sweet glaze as a nice contrast. If you don't want to glaze it you may want to make the filling a bit sweeter, or sprinkle the crust with turbinado or sanding sugar after brushing with the half-and-half. —hardlikearmour

Serves 20 to 24

Crust

2 1/2 cups AP flour, divided, plus additional for rolling out

3/4 cup almond flour (finely ground almond meal)

1 teaspoon table salt

2 ½ tablespoons sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

¼ cup vegetable shortening

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup vodka

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 to 2 tablespoons half-and-half (optional; for brushing on crust before baking)

Cut your butter into ½-inch cubes, and cut your shortening into 4 pieces and place in the freezer.
Combine your water, vodka, and almond extract in a glass measure or small bowl and place in the freezer. Allow to chill for 30 to 40 minutes.

Combine 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, almond flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse 6 to 8 times to combine. Scatter chilled butter and shortening over the flour mixture. Pulse about 15 times, until the mixture resembles wet sand with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, making an even layer of dough in the process. Add the remaining flour in an even layer. Pulse just until combined, about 5 to 6 fast pulses.

Dump contents into a medium-large bowl. Drizzle the water mixture evenly over the flour mixture. Using a rubber or silicone spatula fold and press the mixture until it all combines into a slightly sticky dough. If necessary sprinkle on another tablespoon of water. Divide dough into 2 unequal portions, using about 2/3 of the dough for the larger one. Flatten the dough balls to about ¾-inch thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. (Note: dough can be made and refrigerated 1 to 2 days ahead.)

Combine sugar, nutmeg, salt, and starch in a medium bowl. Stir together, then set aside.

Wash plums and apricots. Cut in half (pole to pole) and remove pits. Cut apricot halves in half (pole to pole) then each quarter crosswise into 2 or 3 pieces depending on the size of the fruit. Do the same with the plum halves, cutting each quarter into 3 or 4 pieces. You want the pieces to be about the same size as a raspberry. Add to the bowl with the dry ingredients, along with the lemon juice. Stir until well combined. Set aside.

Line a 15- by 10-inch rimmed sheet pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, so that it comes up and over the edges of the pan.

Roll the larger piece of dough out between 2 pieces of parchment paper (13-inch wide, and 19-inch long.) Lightly flour the bottom piece before placing the dough on it, then lightly flour the dough before placing the top piece. Roll the dough out to almost completely fill your parchment (no more than ½-inch of parchment unfilled on each edge. You will want to lightly flour the top surface at about the halfway point to prevent sticking. When you are done rolling the dough, remove the top piece of parchment paper, then roll the dough and the bottom sheet of parchment paper lightly around your rolling pin. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, with the parchment side up. Peel the parchment off the dough, and gently press the dough into the corners of the pan. (Don't worry if the dough tears a bit, just patch it back together using pieces of dough that overhang the edges.) Trim dough that overhangs the edges by more than a quarter inch or so.

Spread the filling evenly into the dough. Scatter the raspberries evenly over the filling. (Note: I buy organic raspberries, and don't wash them because they are so fragile. You may gently rinse them and allow to briefly air dry if desired.) Place filled pie in the fridge while rolling out the top crust.

Roll out the top crust between the parchment as before to create a rectangle slightly larger than 15- by 10-inches. Remove the top layer of parchment and evenly cut 15 to 20 holes in the crust using whatever pattern you'd like. I used a bubble tea straw to do this. Cover the pie with the crust, using the rolling pin as before. If the dough is overly soft, refrigerate it for 10 to 15 minutes before covering the pie. Don't worry if there are some small tears, it's a rustic pie so they add charm. Remove the parchment. Fold the bottom crust over the top crust, then use the tines of a fork to seal them together. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes before baking.

Heat oven to 375º with a rack in the center. Brush surface of pie with half-and-half if desired (adds a nice glossiness to the final product.) Bake pie for 40 to 45 minutes until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Rotating pan 180º after 20 to 25 minutes for even baking. Remove from oven and cool on rack for 40 to 45 minutes.

When pie has almost finished cooling whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract, and half-and-half in a small bowl. It should be thin enough to drizzle in a stream; if necessary add a bit more half-and-half. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use if it'll be more than a few minutes.

Using the foil transfer the pie to a serving platter or cutting board, taking care to gently slide the pie from the foil. Drizzle with the glaze in an attractive fashion. Serve warm or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

The raspberry-apricot version is very good. I made a version with just apricots & raspberries, just plums & raspberries, and the mixed one. It was hard to chose which one was best, but the mixed and apricot ones were the top contenders!